Through this pandemic, we held each other up while amplifying the leaders that spoke with the conviction of their lived experiences – voices demanding lasting change and building a better “new normal.”

Voters spoke up too! And at every level of government backed women of color to head the charge. In addition to the leadership roles they already held at home and in their communities, their lived experiences are guiding their path in our movement for an America where we all have value.

This isn’t a new theory of change, especially for organizers like Community Change and our grassroots partners. We have been centered for decades in embracing how showing up as our full selves means we are closer to the solutions our communities need. Meet Reyna Lopez, Executive Director of Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN). Reyna knows how she shows up is because of the family who shaped her life, and shares how even in the face of crisis, it’s these foundations that keep her vision so clear.

At Community Change, we believe that lived experiences allow us to empathize and come up with bold ideas, unite together, and transform our communities.

Video by Communications Fellow Maris Medina